Moreau History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  France 


The name Moreau is a nickname type of surname, derived from the Old French word "more," meaning "dark skinned," which in turn derives from the Phoenician "mauharim," meaning "eastern." This name was applied to Moors and other people with dark complexions. 1 Surnames evolved during the Middle Ages when people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Surnames derived from nicknames were quite common; they usually reflected physical characteristics or other attributes of the first person.

Early Origins of the Moreau family

The surname Moreau was first found in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), an administrative and historical region of east-central France, where this eminent family has held a family seat since ancient times.

Moreau was also found in the town of Montmoreau located in the department of Charente in the southwestern part of France. 1

The family rose to nobility through the ages including in Brittany (French: Bretagne) where they were the lords of Keravel, cited in 1426. Over in Berry, the Moreau family were Lords of Chassy, and one of them was an alderman to the town of Bourges in 1651. Later they were also the lords of Lizoren, ennobled in 1819. 2

Louis Moreau, born in 1649, son of François and Françoise (née Dubout), was a French doctor that travelled from La Rochelle to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Elizabeth Gagnon, daughter of Robert and Marie (née Parenteau), at Sainte-Famille on 21st February 1678. They had two daughters together, Élisabeth, born 28th September 1679, and Geneviève, born 2nd November 1681. They lived together in Quebec until Louis passed away at the age of 34 on 15th January 1683. 3

Early History of the Moreau family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Moreau research. Another 314 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1386, 1467, 1477, 1522, 1656, 1717, 1733, 1740, 1741, 1750, 1763, 1781, 1787, 1791, 1793, 1804, 1806, 1813, 1814, 1819, 1826, 1882, 1884, 1892 and 1898 are included under the topic Early Moreau History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moreau Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Moreau, Morreau, Moreaux, Morreaux, Morault, Morrault, Moreault, Moreaul, Morreaul, Moreaud, Morreaud, Moraud, Morraud, Morot, Morrot, Moreu, Morreu, Moreux, Morreux, Moron, Morron, Moureau, Moureaux, Moureaul, Moureu, Moureux, Mouraut, Mourault, Mouron, Lemoreau, Lamoreau, Lamoreaux, la Moreau, de Moreau, de la Moreau, Demoreau and many more.

Early Notables of the Moreau family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Moreau World Ranking

In the United States, the name Moreau is the 3,373rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 4 However, in Canada, the name Moreau is ranked the 288th most popular surname with an estimated 14,991 people with that name. 5 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Moreau is the 108th popular surname. 6 France ranks Moreau as 10th with 78,177 people. 7


Moreau migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Moreau Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Moreau Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Moreau Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Moreau migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Moreau Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
Moreau Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Moreau (post 1700) +
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